plain sailing

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See also: plain-sailing

English

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WOTD – 25 June 2024

Etymology

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From plain (adjective) +‎ sailing.[1]

Sense 2 (“something that is easy, simple, or straightforward”) is attested slightly later than plain-sailing (adjective), and so could have been derived from it.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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plain sailing (uncountable)

  1. (nautical)
    1. The navigation of waters free from hazards or unfavourable winds.
    2. Obsolete spelling of plane sailing (“a technique for navigation using the assumption that the journey occurs over a plane or flat surface rather than the actual curved surface of the Earth, which is sufficiently accurate over short distances”).
      • 1699, William Dampier, “Some Vessels Sent from Cachao to Tenan to Fetch Rice. […]”, in Voyages and Descriptions. Vol. II. […], London: […] James Knapton, […], →OCLC, part I (His Voyage from Achin in Sumatra, to Tonquin, […]), page 90:
        […] I hired a Tonquineſe for about a Dollar to be my guide. This, tho but a ſmall matter, vvas a great deal out of my Pocket, vvho had not above 2 Dollars in all, vvhich I had gotten on board, by teaching ſome of our young Seamen Plain Sailing.
      • 1735, Benjamin Martin, “The Use of Decimals in Plain Trigonometry, and Other Mathmatical Sciences Depending thereon”, in A New Compleat and Universal System or Body of Decimal Arithmetick, […], London: […] J. Noon, […], →OCLC, page 322:
        […] Mercator's Sailing gives the correct Difference of Latitude and Longitude both; Middle Latitude Sailing, only the correct Difference of Longitude; Plain Sailing gives neither correctly; and therefore their Merits are in Proportion.
      • 1760 January – 1761 December, [Tobias George Smollett], “In which the Knight Resumes His Importance”, in The Life and Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves. […], Dublin: […] James Hoey, junior, published 1762, →OCLC, page 78:
        I doubt as hovv I've ſteered by a vvrong chart, d'ye ſee—as for the matter of the ſciences, to be ſure, I knovv plain ſailing and mercator; and am an indifferent good ſeaman, […]
      • 1809 June 25, Lord Byron, “Letter XXXV. To Mr. Henry Drury.”, in Thomas Moore, editor, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: With Notices of His Life, […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], published 1830, →OCLC, page 188:
        [W]e have determined to go by way of Lisbon, […] and so on our old route to Malta and Constantinople, if so be that Captain Kidd, our gallant commander, understands plain sailing and Mercator and takes us on our voyage all according to the chart.
  3. (figurative) Something that is easy, simple, or straightforward; something that offers no difficulties or trouble.
    Synonyms: child's play, smooth sailing, walk in the park; see also Thesaurus:easy thing
    • 1796, [Frances Burney], “Studies of a Grown Gentleman”, in Camilla: Or, A Picture of Youth. […], volume I, London: […] T[homas] Payne, […]; and T[homas] Cadell Jun. and W[illiam] Davies (successors to Mr. [Thomas] Cadell) […], →OCLC, book I, page 73:
      [H]e ſhould give himſelf fair play, by trying his hand vvith the rudiments, vvhich vvould no ſooner be run over, than the reſt vvould become plain ſailing: […]
    • 1850, Henry T. Cheever, “Raising and Cutting-in Whales”, in The Whale and His Captors; or, The Whaleman’s Adventures, and the Whale’s Biography, […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 58:
      After this [the whale's tongue] was hoisted in, the rest of the way was plane sailing, the blubber of the body being cut and peeled off, in huge unbroken strips, as the carcass rolled over and over, being heaved on by the windlass, then hooked into blubber hooks, and hoisted in by the men all the time heaving at the windlass.
    • 1853, “An Æsthetic Tea”, in William Harrison Ainsworth, editor, Ainsworth’s Magazine, volume XXIII, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, page 78:
      Life is not plain-sailing, and writers on Life must not put themselves in antagonism with their subject. Life is the sphinx; and they who see no mystery in her utterances—they who essay not to guess her riddles—what can their lot be but swift destruction?
    • 1911, Henrik Ibsen, “An Enemy of the People: A Play in Five Acts”, in R[obert] Farquharson Sharp, transl., edited by Ernest Rhys, Ghosts; The Warriors at Helgeland; An Enemy of the People (Everyman’s Library; no. 552), London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent & Sons; New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton & Co., published 1949, →OCLC, Act II, page 168:
      Hovstad. Do you think that will be all such plain sailing? / Dr. Stockmann. Plain sailing or no, it has got to be done, anyway.
    • 1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter IV, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, part I, number 11, New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, February 1927, →OCLC, book I, page 998, column 1:
      In another fifty yards there was a second turn, this time toward the left! but it was more of a gentle curve, and we took it without trouble. After that it was plain sailing, though as far as I could know, there might be most anything ahead of us, and my nerves strained to the snapping-point every instant.
    • 1941 November, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 484:
      At Tebay however, he began to get the mastery over these untoward conditions, and actually got back a little time up to Shap, after which all was plain sailing.
    • 2012 September 25, “Chelsea 6 – 0 Wolves”, in BBC Sport‎[1], archived from the original on 2023-04-08:
      It was not all plain sailing for Chelsea, however. First David Davis saw his strike tipped over before Slawomir Peszko surged clear of [John] Terry and [Gary] Cahill and rounded Ross Turnbull before shooting into the side netting.
    • 2023 April 5, Peter Plisner, quoting Anne Shaw, “West Midlands Metro Metamorphosis”, in Rail, number 980, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 33:
      But it's not been plain sailing for those planning the new route. The second half of the line from Dudley to Brierley Hill has run into financial difficulties, as a result of rising construction and operation costs.

Usage notes

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It is sometimes difficult to tell which of the two nautical senses is intended in a particular text.[1]

Alternative forms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “plain sailing, n. and adj.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2024; “plain sailing, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

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